Seventy-five thousand fans crowded into Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., to watch Clemson’s last-second victory over Alabama in the College Football Playoff Championship. Tickets averaged $1,230, and 26 million people watched the game on TV. However, many bowl games do not come close to the National Championship’s level of interest and success. Eighty college football teams play in 41 bowl games, many of which are underwhelming. Only 13,000 fans attended the Popeye’s Bahamas Bowl between Eastern Michigan and Old Dominion, and the number of people who received free tickets outnumber those who purchased them. A winning record is not even a requirement for a team to qualify for a bowl game anymore. Mississippi State and North Texas both finished the regular season with 5-7 records, but managed to make the St. Petersburg and Heart of Dallas bowls, respectively. In a time when college football is almost all about making money, some bowl games do not financially benefit the universities that participate. Teams receive buyouts from the bowls ranging from $6 million for the CFP Semifinals to $200,000 for the Camellia Bowl. But many schools end up losing money. Costs such as transportation and rooms for players, coaches, cheerleaders, and marching band members may net a loss for some universities. Teams are also forced to buy all of the unsold tickets, which can be a big issue for the less popular bowl games. Even teams that go to major bowls lose money. In 2012, Stanford lost $421,046 after participating in the Orange Bowl. Some top players do not even want to play in their bowl games, because an injury could cost them money professionally. Top NFL running back prospects, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Louisiana State’s Leonard Fournette, both abstained from playing in their bowl games to avoid risking injury. Michigan tight end Jake Butt tore his ACL in the Orange Bowl. Butt was projected to be a first round pick and receive a huge signing bonus, but after his injury Butt is now projected to get drafted in the 3rd or 4th round.If these lesser bowl games are so bad, why does any team bother going? Along with all the fun of going to Florida or California in late December or early January and playing in a football game, programs get extra practices and national attention, giving them an advantage for future years. Games like the Rose Bowl are historic events that most college football players dream of playing in.Nonetheless, the number of bowl games should be half of what it currently is, slashing them from 41 to 20; this would make going to a bowl a much bigger deal for both the fans and the teams. The competition for spots would make the season more exciting. Since there would be fewer bowls, the remaining ones would have higher attendance and TV ratings. Limited availability would create greater competition among sponsors, and fans would be more likely to travel if it was their team’s only bowl appearance in, for example, the last five years, instead of their fifth in five years. With no more empty stadiums and only games between college football’s top teams, the already dramatic bowl season would become even more thrilling, rivaling college basketball’s March Madness. ​